Burns Bog

Burns Bog is a raised bog ecosystem covering approximately 3,000 hectares of the Fraser River delta between the south arm of the Fraser River and Boundary Bay. The largest undeveloped urban landmass in North America, Burns Bog is globally unique because of its chemistry, form, flora and large size.

For many years, the land was used for peat mining and farming, which resulted in slow devastation of the bog. Preservation and conservation became increasingly crucial, and something needed to be done.

Mayor Lois E. Jackson and a dedicated Council took action and fought hard to conserve Burns Bog. Referendums were held, reviews were done and agreements were made. On March 24, 2004, their resolution was rewarded and a binding purchase agreement was reached to protect 2,042 hectares of Burns Bog as an Ecological Conservancy Area.

"We all sat in the room upstairs, and I said, 'Set your politics aside because, guess what, we've got a job to do.' It took until 2004, and together we put together all of the documents, signing papers on ferries and on the front of trucks and all kinds of things. It took a tremendous amount of work to make that happen, through many years. We thought we'd lost it many, many times."

–Mayor Lois E. Jackson

The City of Delta joined with the Province of B.C., the Government of Canada and Metro Vancouver to preserve the ecological integrity of the bog. The legally binding conservation covenant placed on the property will ensure that Burns Bog is protected, and managed effectively as a natural ecosystem.

Did you know?

At 3,000 hectares (8,000 acres), Burns Bog is eight times bigger than Vancouver's Stanley Park, and it is the largest raised bog on the west coast of the Americas!